The present invention relates generally to containers for dispensing flowable materials and, more particularly, to a flexible tube-like container that can be manually squeezed to dispense the flowable material from the tube.
Wall repair compounds, such as spackle (also referred to as spackling compound), are commonly used to repair cracks, holes, or other imperfections in a wall caused by, for example, nails, drilling, or impact before the wall is painted or otherwise finished. Repairing a damaged wall surface using spackle typically involves applying one or more coats of spackling compound to the wall surface using a tool such as a putty knife. Spackling compound is typically sold in tubs having openings that are large enough for the putty knife to be dipped into the tub and coated with spackling compound. The putty knife can then be used to apply the spackling compound to the wall surface and spread it evenly on the wall surface. After the spackling compound has dried and hardened, it can be sanded smooth using a conventional abrasive such as sandpaper or a sanding sponge.
Tube dispensers are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,851 (Koptis) for example, discloses a tube dispenser, sponge applicator and cover assembly including a tube dispenser having a main body portion, an upper neck portion extending from the main body at an upper end and an upper circumferential portion at the upper end of the main body portion adjacent to the neck portion. U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,299 discloses a dispensing system for patching an untextured portion of a destination surface to substantially match an existing structure of an existing sprayed on texture pattern on the destination surface surrounding the untextured portion. The dispensing system comprises a container, a sponge member, and a scraper member.